Packing structure and method of packing



May 9, 1944- c. LINDLEY, .'JR., ETAL f 2,348,397

PACKING STRUCTURE AND METHOD 0F PACKING Filed Mayas, .1940 2 sheets-sheet 1 Patented May 9, 1944 PACKING STRUCTURE AND METHOD" OF PACKING Curtis Lindley, Jr., Empire, Charles H. Goodyear, Stockton, and Willis H. Thomas, San Francisco, Calif.; saidr Good-yearand said Thomas assign--l ors to said Lindley Applica-tion May 29, 1940, SeriaLNo. 337,820

Z Claims. (Cl. 26S- 46) Our invention relates to the packing of articles for shipment; and more particularly to the packing of fruit, such as oranges.

Itis among the objects of our invention to provide a packing structure which gives good protection for articles in a shipping container and insures safe carriage.

. lAnother object is to provide a structure of the character described adapted' to accommodate articles of rounded shape and of different size.

Another object is to provide a packing structureiwhich conserves space in a shipping container and insu-res a rm pack with less likelihood of damage to the packed articles.

Still another object is' to provide a packing structure embodying` a simplified ller.

Aiurther object is to provide improved means for retaining and separating layers `of fillers within a shipping con-tainer.

A still further objectis to provide an improved method of packing articles.

The invention possesses other objects and ,features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set lforth in the following description of our invention.V Itis to be understood that We do not limit ourselves to this disclosure'of species` of our invention, as we may adopt variant embodiments thereof within the scope of the claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1` is a plan view of a container with the lid removed to show the packing structure embodying our invention, certain of the llers being omitted and one of. the llers being shown partially folded to illustrate the construction more clearly; and, Figure 2 isa fragmentary vertical sectional View of the same with` the lid in position, taken in a plane indicated by the 1ine'2-2 of Figurel l.

vFigure 3 is a perspective view of one oi the trays apart from. the remaining structure.

Figure 4 is a perspectiveview of a folded filler. While the upstanding wall panels of the nller are shown with straight portions meeting at sharp angles, it is understood that actually thev portions may be somewhat curved and meet at soft angles since all of the folding may not take place sharply about thevertical crease lines;

Figure 5 is a plan View of theA 'ller blank` Figures 6 to l0 illustrate modified forms of our filler.

In terms of broad inclusion, our: packing structure embodies a filler having a. base strip, and Wall'. panels foldably connected to opposite edges of the strip and partially severed therefrom. In

folded condition the wal-l panels extend upwardly from the-base strip to-provide dividers between the articles being packed, andthe partially severed portions are bent along suitable score lines to provide a series of. packing cells to accommodate articles of rounded shape, such as oranges. In the packed structure, the troughshaped fillers are arrangedin layers; the fillers in each layer being disposed to receive rows oi the articles, and the llers being spaced toV re:- ceive other rows of the articles therebetween. Trays are also preferably providedior the filler layers in the container. Our invention also embodies an improved method of packing the articles.

In greater detail, and referring to the drawings, our packing structure comprises a shipping container or -boX- of suitable material, suchas Wood, having side walls 2, end walls 3V and a bot-V tom 4. Cleats E `are preferably provided on the end walls to which lid 'l is nailed. These cleats elevate and provide openings along the top for air circulation, and the side boards` are also preferably spaced somewhat from the bottom to provide similar openings. along the` lower edges.

The packed articles 8, such as oranges, are arranged in say two layers, and the oranges in .the layers are arranged in rows of say three` oranges each, as shown in Figures l and- The layers are preferably disposed in trays of brous sheet material each having. a bottom 9 coextensive with the box bottom and having shallow side and' end walls lil and l2 folded upon crease lines along the edges of bottom 9. Ventilating openings i3 are preferably formed by tabs it cut out of the bottom. These tabs fold down. when the walls are turned. up, leaving the desiredl openings along the side edges oi the bottom. In a two-layer pack the first tray rests directly on the box bottom, and the second tray is disposed above it to provide a bottom sheet for the overlying layer. Tabs I4 of the lower tray project downwardly in the openings along the lower edges ot the box. allowing the tray to rest flatly on. the box bottom. Openings I3 of the lower tray thus register with the box openings for ventilation through the tray, and the openings of the upper tray provide for ventilation past it.

The oranges in the rows are retained` by iillers, each folded from a blank of brous sheet material cut and scored` as illustrated in Figure 5. This blank comprises three sections, the intermediate section of which forms a base strip I.- The outer sectionsv are each divided into three wall panels H1, I3 and I9 by transverseslits 2|-,

and are foldably connected to opposite edges of the base strip by score lines 22. The panels along a side of the base strip are of different width, and the panels along the opposite side are of similar width but arranged in reversely symmetrical order. Thus, panels l1 at diagonally opposed corners are narrower than panelsl and I9, and intermediate panels i8 are narrower than corner panels I9. Slits 2| are arranged to stagger the panel edges at one side with those at the opposite side; the slits being preferably aligned with the centers of scores 22 at the opposite side.

Portions of each of these panels are also partially severed from the base strip by longitudinal slits 23, 2t and 26. Slits 23 and 2st intersect with the inner ends of transverse slits 2l at points substantially midway between their ends, and

' slits 26 extend inwardly from the ends of the blank. This slitted arrangement provides one wing portion I1 on panel Il; two wing portions I8' onpanel I8; and two Wing portions I9 on panel I9. The outer wing portion I9 which lies at the end of the blank is considerably wider than the others which are of substantially equal width. Score lines 2l are provided between the partially severed wing portions and the body portions of the panels.

Figure 4' shows the trough-shaped filler after the wallsrhave been folded up from the base. After folding up the walls the wing portions of the panels thereof are bent chiefly along creases v2l so Vthat the panel wings at one side extend outwardly of the base strip while the panel wings at the'other side extend inwardly thereof. These panel wings assume their folded positions by pressure of the oranges against them whenthe structure ispacked; and whereas the panel portions are shown straight and meeting at sharp angles, it isunderstood that all the bending may positioned filler; and then folding up the wall panels along the other edge of the base strip. This procedure is followed with other llers and rows of oranges until a layer is completed, after which a second tray is inserted and filled.

It will be observed that panel wings il', E8 and I9 are free to swing away from the direction of packing pressure, and are free to assume positions between the oranges, thus automatically Vforming packing cellsv for the fruit as the pack is built up. It is also to be noted that the foldable wings Yare free to assume varying positions of angularity, depending upon the size of the fruit, thus giving great flexibility. Furthermore, the arrangement of the panels and the associated wing portions readily accommodates arti-v cles of vrounded shape, such as oranges, with a minimum of lost space and insures a rm pack.

Another feature of the sectional filler structure is that with varying, fruit sise it allows the packing of a greater or less number of rows to evenly ll up the box. This is not possible with a ller constructed of predetermined size to t a box and having a definite number of packing cells. Our structure therefore not only shapes its own individual cells to t the fruit, but also adapts the over-all length of the pack to nt the box.

As shown in Figure 2, the iii-st row of articles rests directly upon the bottom of the tray; the second row rests upon the base strip of the first filler; while the third row again rests directly upon the tray bottom. Alternate rows of the articles thus function to hold the fillers down. Another feature shown in Figure 2 is that the filler walls extend above the tray walls and above the packed articles to provide support for the upper tray and for the lid l of the box. The factthat the wall panels are standing on edge and have the angularly disposed wing portions, gives these panels considerable supporting strength.

While we have described our packing structure in connection with fruits, such as oranges, it is understood that the structure may be used for packing electric lamps, golf balls and other articles; and is particularly well adapted for packing fragile articles of varying size and shape such as Christmas ltree ornaments. It is also understood that corrugated breboard may be employed instead of solid material for the structural parts. I

It is also understood that the particular number and arrangement of panels and wing vportions n the i'lller units may be varied to accommodate different numbers of articles in the rows from that shown in Figure 1. Thus, by omitting the intermediate panels i8 a filler unit is provided for accommodating two articles in each row, as illustrated in Figures 6 and 7. It is further understood that the panels may be formed along one edge only of a base strip, so that a separate base strip is provided for each row of panels, as also shown in Figures 6` and 7. Such base strips may be glued to the tray or adapted to rest loosely on the tray bottom, the latter being preferredV because it permits shifting the ller units when the pack is built up. When panels are provided on one edge only of a base strip the wing portions may be folded either in Wardly over the base strip or outwardly from the edge of the base strip.

Figures 8 and 9 illustrate a filler construction for a pack in which there are four articles in one row and three articles in an adjacent row. The filler comprises a base strip 3| having panels 32, 33 and 34 foldably connected along one edge, and panels 3e, 3l, 38 and 39 foldably connected along the opposite edge. Panel 32 has wing por' tions 32', the outer wing being Vwider than the inner wing. Intermediate'panel 33 has wing portions 33 of equal width; and panel 34 has wing portions 3a similar to that of panel 32. End panels 36 and 39 on the opposite edge are also alike, having single inner wing portions 36 and 39. Intermediate panels 3l and 38 have wing portions 3l and 3S similar to those of panell 33 on the opposite side. In this case diagonally opposed panels are unlike and end panels on the same edge are alike.

If desired, panel 33 and one of the intermediate panels say 3l on the opposite side may be omitted for a pack having three articles in one row and two articles in an adjacent row. Figure l0 shows the blank for such a filler. Thus, by subtracting or adding intermediate panels to the llers, the numbers of articles to be packed in the rows may be varied.

It will be seen that the fillers for equal numbers of articles in adjacent rows, such as the 3-3 pack of Figure l, have panels which are reversely symmetrical about a longitudinal medial line through the base strip; while llers for unequal numbers of articles in adjacent rows, such as the 4-3 pack of Figure 8, have panels which are symmetrical about a transverse medial line through the base strip. In both cases, however, the fillers have a double wing panel adjacent an end of the base strip and a single wing panel adjacent the same end on the opposite edge. All of the llers, either with panels along one or two edges, are characterized by panels having one or more wing portions foldably connected thereto and adapted to be disposed at varying angles to the panels, depending upon the shape and size of the articles, to provide packing cells.

We claim:

1. A packing structure comprising a container for articles packed in layers each of which layers includes a plurality of staggered interrneshing rows, a tray overlying each lower layer for supporting the next higher layer thereover and having wall portions foldable upwardly to lie against the adjacent walls of the container, and fillers providing cells for receiving the articles, the llers comprising base strips underlying alternate rows of articles, a plurality of upwardly foldable cell wall panels upon the edges of the base strips, each panel having a main portion positioned for alinement with an article of a row upon one side thereof and with a space between adjacent articles of a row upon the opposite side thereof, and wing portions upon the main cell wall portions extending between the adjacent articles of adjacent rows at obtuse angles to the main wall portions, the erected cell wall panels being of a height suflicientto provide support for an overlying tray.

2. A packing structure comprising a container for articles packed in a plurality of rows in staggered intermeshing relation, llers forming cells for receiving the articles and holding the same out of contact with each other, each filler comprising a base strip underlying a row of articles and provided with upwardly extending cell wall panels, each panel comprising a main wall portion positioned for alignment with an article upon one side thereof and for providing a spacer between adjacent articles upon the opposite side thereof, and wing portions extending laterally from the main w-all portions and displaced by an article upon one side thereof into the spaces adjacent articles of the row upon the opposite side thereof at obtuse angles to the main wall portions of the panels.

CURTIS LINDLEY, JR. CHARLES H. GOODYEAR. WILLIS H. THOMAS. 

